A Terrific Traffic Blockade on NH 66!

The journey from Margao-Panaji and Panaji-Vasco which takes around 45 minutes has been stretched to 3-4 hours of long journey. According to the Times of India, many people were delayed of their work, schedule and events. For three consecutive days, the traffic jam brought the commuters to a standstill which made it impossible for the people to travel the journey in a nick of time. The blockade started from Cortalim to Agacaim while for the ones travelling from Margao the blockade started from Verna slope to Agacaim making it difficult to travel on the bridge.

Thousands were delayed from their work while hundreds even missed their flights. The stranded commuters travelling were furious over the poor construction of the road which resulted in crater-sized potholes. Seemingly it was reported that many tourists made their way to Goa for the weekend and the Independence Day holiday. The blockade which started in the morning for four hours went on till evening bringing the busy hefty day of the commuters to a complete standstill.

Many people took to social media to express their fury over the forever-caught-up traffic jam which went on the whole day. Moreover unethical driving of some people caused chaos and haywire lanes on the narrow roads. One of the motorists claimed that the traffic police turned the blind to such menace and were seen talking in groups in one corner. It was seen that many people carrying heavy bags preferred to walk and hitch a lift to make it on time. Some even returned home after waiting for 2 hours seeing no hope of getting across the heavy congested bridge. A number of motorists blamed the four-wheeler vehicles for not maintaining lanes and the traffic police did little to control them. Sadly an ambulance couldn’t make its way through the congested traffic, the ear-piercing siren of the same fell on deaf ears. Seeing that no vehicle was ready to give way, the ambulance putting everyone’s life at risk in the bid to reach on time to the hospital made its way on the opposite lane, zooming through the oncoming traffic. Speaking to the media, one the commuters said, “Potholed road, dangerously placed barricades, motorists filling every conceivable gap made it all the more difficult to even move a meter”.

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People travelling to courts and important meeting were delayed off their work making the otherwise scheduled life a nightmare. One of the commuters said, “It was waste of time, money and fuel. The government is making no effort to increase the quality of the road”.

The actual root problem of the blockade is the poor quality of the road which was unevenly tarred by the PWD prior to monsoon which has now washed off the tar specifically near the the Agacaim police station road where water logging is common and the tar layer has given way resulting in traffic slowing down to a great extent. The potholes attributed to vehicles especially two-wheelers slowing down and avoiding mishaps. The Herald reported ) the reason for the blockade was found to be at Cortalim circle where the road has been reduced to a single lane and secondly the same stretch has developed several potholes even after constant repairs. The Mormugao Traffic Cell Police Inspector Roy Pereira has said that until the Agacaim stretch of the road is not tarred the traffic jams at the Cortalim Circle onwards are going to continue. He also said that a suggestion to raise the height of the road and cover it with paving stones to prevent water logging in Agacaim has been given to the concerned engineering team. The state which promotes tourism on large scale should have proper road planning and better roads. Having poor roads will only create blockades and also result in loss of lives. To avoid the uprising of such issues the government should either suspend the construction of the bridge in the booming tourist season or improve the quality of the road once and for all. Lastly, the government solely is not responsible for the traffic menace. Unethical driving, disrupting the patterned lanes and driving without courtesy should be avoided.